Circuit-closer.



J. F., HAWLEY & F. L. oss.

cmcun CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 19, I916.

Patented J i1 --10,-.-1917.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed necember 19, 1916. Serial llo. 137,915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN F. HAWLEY and FRED L. Moss, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Chillicot-he, in the county or Livingston andState of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCircuit-Closers, of which the .following is a specification.

This invention relates to circuit closers and more particularly to thatclass of such devices which aredesigned to be employed beneath the railsof a railway track for the purpose of closing a signal circuit upon thepassage of a train over the rails at the point of location of thedevice, and the applica tion is, more specifically speaking, a divisionof our copending application for pat out on railway crossing signals,filed April 6, 1916, Serial No. 89414:.

It one aim oi the present invention to provide a circuit closing deviceof the class mentioned which will be so constructed as to not be: liableto have its parts disarranged due to thjeshocks incurred by the passageof a train-over the rail beneath which the device is located.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a circuit closing devicewhich will be "so constructed that the contact elements thereof will becompletely housed in a cas ing which will protect them not only fromcontact with moving objects, but also from rain or snow.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view inside elevation of a section of railway trackillustrating the manner oi"- arranging the circuit closer embodying thepresent invention beneath one of the rails;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the circuit closer, thecontacts being separated as in the normal condition of the device; i

Fig. 3 is a similar view, but illustrating the contact elements inmutual engagement as when a train is passing over the rail beneath whichthe device is arranged.

In the drawings the railway ties are indicated by the numeral 1 and therail by the numeral 2 and by reference to Fig. 2 it will be observedthat the upper surface of that one of the ties uponwhich the circuitclosing device of the present invention is disposed and secured, islocated in a plane below the plane occupied by the upper faces of theties at either side thereof so as to provide a space between the upperface of the first-mentioned tie and the under face of the rail base toaccommodate the said circuit closing device.

, The circuit closing device comprises a lower casing section 3 havingan attaching flange 4 whereby it may be secured upon one of the tiessupporting the rail 1 and, more specifically, the tie first-mentionedabove, and this casing section is open at its upper end and closed atits lower end and has telescopically fitted thereto, an upper casingsection indicated by the numeral 5. This upper section is closed at itsupper end and bears against the under side of therail base, the sectionsbeing held normally in a direction toward separation by means of aspring 6 which is housed within the casing comprising the said sectionsand which bears at its lower end against the closed bottom of thesection 3 and at its upper end against the closed top of the sectionArranged within the sections and surrounded by the spring is a sleeve 7which may either be loosely disposed in place or integral with thebottom of the section 3 and within the lower end of the sleeve there isarranged a block 8 of insulation supporting a spring contact finger 9from which leads a conductor wire 10 in the signal circuit to be closedby the said device. The contact finger 9 is bowed, or in other words,viewed in elevation is of U- shape and is resilient, and a similarfinger 11 is mounted upon a block 12 of insulating material which blockis housed within the upper-end of the sleeve 7 and is secured 'in anysuitable manner to the closed upper end of the casing 5. A conductorwire 13 leads from the contact finger 11 through the insulating block 12and is also located in the same circuit as the wire 10. It will beobserved that in the normal positions of the parts the upper end of thesleeve 7 is spaced below the closed upper end of the casing section 5and that the free ends of the contacts are mutually spaced. However,

Patented July 10, 1917.

and thus closing the circuit in which the wires 10 and 13 are located.

Inasmuch as the section 5 of the casing fits'.

telescopically over the upper open end of the section 3 of the casing,rain and snow cannot enter the casing and, furthermore, the sleeve 7adds to the protection of the contacts from moisture. This sleeve alsoin sures against any possible contact of the the under section and'topof the upper sec-- tion and insulated therefrom and having their freeends normally spaced and adapted to be brought into mutual engagementupon telescopic movement of one section with re lation to the other, anda sleeve located Within the said sections and surrounding the saidcontacts. Y

2. A circuit closing device of the class described including telescopingcasing sections, contact elements carried by the bottom of the undersection and top of the upper section and insulated therefrom and havingtheir contact portions normally spaced and adaptedto be brought intomutual engagement upon telescopic movement of one section With relationto the other, a sleeve arranged Within the casing sections, and a springsurrounding the said sleeve and yieldably holding the sectlons againstrelative telescopic movement.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

JOHN ,F; HAWLEY.

[n s] FRED L. MOSS.

